Rail-joint.



L. DEER & F. SMITH.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1909.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

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Q/Vi b1 eases LAFAYETTE DEER AND FRENCH SMITH, OF ETNA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

Application filed May 28, 1909. Serial No. 498,992.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LAFAYETTE DEER and FRENQH SMITH, citizens of theUnited States of America, residing atEtna, in the county of Alleghenyand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a rail joint, and the objects of our inventionare, first, to provide a simple and inexpensive rail joint; second, toobviate the necessity of using nuts and bolts for connecting theconfront: ingends of two rails; third, to provide a rail joint that willbe strong, durable andhighly eflicient for holding two rails andpreventing lateral and vertical displacement of the same.

We attain the above objects by a structure "provide a chair comprising abase plate 1 having upwardly extended angular flanges 2, the lower sideedges of said flanges and the plate 1 being notched as at 3, wherebysaid chair can be secured to ties or sleepers (not shown). Rails 4 areadapted to rest upon the plate 1, and to retain said rails thereon, weuse splice bars 5 and 6. These splice bars fit snugly over the baseflanges I of the rails, brace the webs and heads of said rails, andengage the flanges 2. The splice bars 5 and 6 are provided withlongitudinal shoulders 7 to bear against the upper edges of the flan es2, whereby a rigid structure is provided and further lateral andvertical displacement of the rails are.

prevented. To retain the splice bars 5 and 6 in position, the-bar 5 isprovided at one endmith a pierced lug 8 and the bar 6 with a similarlug. These lugs are adapted to register with pierced lugs 9 carried by opposing ends of the flanges2. A cotter pm.

bolt and nut, rivet or seal 10 can be used for connecting the lugs 8 and9.

It is thought that our invention will be fully understood from theforegoing 'description, and we reserve the right to make such structuralchanges as are permissible by the appended claim.

Having now described our invention what we claim as new, is

In a rail joint, a chair for supporting the rails and embodying a baseplate and upwardly and inwardly extending inclined flanges formed interal with thedongitudinal edges of the p ate, said base plate of greaterwidth than the width of a base of a rail and positioned to project fromeach longitudinal edge of the base of the rail, the splice bars engagingthe webs and bases of the rails and provided with a shouldered extensionengaging the longitudinal edges of the rail bases and the portions ofthe base plate which project beyond the edges of the rail bases, each ofsaid splice bars formed on its periphery with a longitudinally extendingshoulder against which abuts the free edges of said flanges," saidflanges inclosing the lower portion of the splice bars, an apertured lugprojectin from each of said flanges and arranged at a point in proximityto the free edge of its respective flange, said ln s oppositely disposedwith respect to eac 1' other, an apertured lug formed integral with eachof the splice bars and arranged in proximity to the shoulder of itsrespective splice bar, the lugs of the bars being oppositely-disposedwith respect to each other and arranged below the lugs of the flanges,andmeans extending through the lugs for connecting the splice bars tothe flanges.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in the presence of twowitnesses.

LAFAYETTE DEER. FRENCH SMITH. Witnesses: I MAX H; SRoLovrrz,

A. J. TRIGG.

